Liquid-dispensing apparatus



E. E. MURPHY.

LIQUID DlsPENslNG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, 1916.

Patented oct. 25, 1921.

level, the arrangement being such that the height, .the valve closing when lequilibrium .trap member 30.

STATES YPil-r erica.

LIQUID-DISPENSING APPARATUS.

v Application led July 28.

To all whom t may concern.: Y

v Be it known that I, EDWARD E. MURPHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Winchester, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Liquid-Dispensing Apparatus, `of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to liquid-dispensing devices, and particularly to those operated by means of a fluid under pressure, such as air or carbonio acid gas. The invention is embodied in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings;

Figure 1 is a front elevation, showing parts of a soda fountain, including adjustable means for determining the amount of liquid to be delivered at each operation.

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in elevation and partly broken out, showing on a larger scale and in detail the parts included in the structure shown by Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of parts shown' in Fig. 2, as viewed from the right of that figure. I

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section through a device for controlling the operation of the apparatus, said controlling device being shown in side elevation at the upper right-hand corner of Fig. -1, and partly shown in front elevation at the upper part of Fig. 3. y Y

Fig. 5 shows in horizontal section a portion ofthe device shown by Fig. 4, including parts ofV modied construction, this view .being on a larger scale than Fig. 4.

The same reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all the views.

21 represents a measuring chamber, to the lower end of which is'secured a pipe 20, eX- tending to a syrup container at a higher syrup or avorlng, passing through the pipe, enters the bottomwall ofthe chamber through an opening coveredby a clack valve 22, which valve permits ingress of the liquid until the level'thereof'in the pipes 26 and '51, hereinafter described, reaches a suitable has .been established.y The` chamber 21 is made in two parts, kas shown byFig. 2, so

l. that the bottom wall may bedetached from the vertical wall to permit insertion of'a ,Op 'tremper-the gember .lls e remise! Specification of Letters Patent.

vheaded adjusting Y, ing in said free end cular.

member 33 which is attached Patented oct. 25, raar. 191e. seriaiNo. 111,827. Y

externally screw-threadedmember 23 integral with said chamber or rigidly aHiXed thereto. Mounted on the member 23 is a member 24 having a hollow shank portion provided with internal screw-threads arranged to coact with the screw-threads on the member 23, so that the member 24 maybe raised or lowered as it is rotated. The shank of the member 24 is provided with external collars arranged to receive between them a lug 25 and to carry the lug 25 upward or downward as the adjusting member so travels. The lug 25 is rigidly connected to a pipe 26, and when the member 24 moves vertically it carries the lug and pipe 26 with it. Th made of material having a certain degree of flexibility-such material, for instance, as block tin`and is curved so as to permit eXure at its upper end, which iiexure will be slight, however, of the pipeV is not great. The pipe 26 eX- tends into the measuring chamber 21 through a stuffing box including a gland 27 and packing 28, the chamber 21 having a tubular p0rtion21l formed to lreceive the gland 27, and having screw-threads arranged to coact with screw-threads on the gland, whereby when the gland is screwed down the packing may be compressed and a tight slide joint be secured.

Thepipe 26 terminates in an outlet nozzle 26a, as shown by Fig. 1. The lower end of the pipe 26, within the chamber 21, has attached to it a trap member 30 the free end of which is provided ,with a flange 30l extendinglaterally outward, the inlet openbeing substantially cir- A ball member 31 is arranged to cover the inlet opening of the member 30,

32, 32 which coact with the pipe 26 in restricting the ball member to such vertical path. rl`he guide members 32,

e pipe 26 is 32 rise fromthe flange 30a, being secured thereto in any desired manner, their upper ends being bent as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, if preferred, to cooperate with the stop .to thepipe 26, to limit path of upward'travel of the ball.

TheV operation of .the invention is as follows.` Syrup fromcthe' before-mentioned container Hows-byfglravity into the measur- .eg .Chamber ?1 thifeusl ripe 2.0i .freine up 'the pipe 26 and the trap 30. The higher the clack valve 22 by its passage; and after Ythe chamber 21 has been filled sufliciently to iioat the ball valve 31 the syrup continues to rise therein and will pass into the pipe 26, the iiow being continued until the chamber 21 is iilled and the syrup has risen in the pipes r26 and 51 to substantially the level of the surface of the syrup in said container. The elack valve 22 will then close by reason or' its own weight and prevent backward return ofthe syrup, which might otherwise occur under some conditions, as, for instance, when the container is removed from its delivering position -while there is yet liquid within it, or when the liquid is being orced from the chamber 21 by the compressed iiuid in the manner now to be described.

In priming the measuring device, due allowance will be made for the approximate amount of syrup that has entered pipe 26, and the amount to be delivered will be determined by the adjustment of the trap 30. Rotating the member 211 will raise or lowler t ie trap, the less the amount delivered. The chamber is so proportioned that the vtrap will never require lowering to such anextent as to interfere with the effective working of the clack valve 22. The chamber 21 as shown in Fig. 2 is about the actual size used for syrup dispensing in soda -fountains equipped with my invention. j The trap 30 may be positioned when the apparatus is installed and will rarely require any readjustment, if ever, unless a dilierent quality or character or' syrup is to berdispensed.l

rl`he compressed air or other medium will be delivered at a pressure preferably between one and four pounds to the square inch. `When the dispensing clerk has placed a receptacle beneath the nozzle 26a, pressure on a suitable plunger (not shown) will permit the compressed aeriform fluid to iow into the chamber 21. The force ot the compressed medium will drive syrup out of the chamber 21, up the v pipe 26 and out of the nozzle 26a until a. sufficient quantity of the syrup has been Yforced out of the chamber 21 to allow the Vball 31`to seat on the trap. As long as thevpressure on the plunger is continued, the force or the compressed mediumfin the chamber 21 will bear upon the ball 31 and hold it on its sea-t on member 30, thus preventing return to the chamber of syrup from pipe 26; but when theplunger' isreleased the pressure will be shut oli, and the compressed medium will escape from chamber 21 through suitable conduit means not shown. The pressure on the ball l.bee

ing thus released, the excess syrup remaining in pipe 26 will return to chamber 21, where itV will be kept cooler than itwould be it allowed t'o1rem'ainin the upper portion of lthe pipe. 1"'*the meantime the` syrup will begin 'to:time:fromV the container to thechamber to refill the latter, and as soon as theI syrup in the chamber 21 is suticient to raise the ball Vi1-the syrup may rise in the pipe 26 to approximately the level of the syrup in the container. The entire operation is capable of speedy and continued repetition.

Having thus explained the nature of my saidinvention and described a way of constructing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all the forms in which it may be made or all the modes of its use, what l claim is: Y

l. In apparatus ol the class described, a measuring chamber provided with an outlet arranged to be raised and lowered relatively to said chamber, a valve arranged to seat on said outlet, said valve being movable from its seat by the rise of liquid in said chamber,

.and guiding means for insuring thereturn or said valve to its seat when the valve is permitted to descend.

2. In liquid-dispensing apparatus, a liquid supply source, a measuring chamber, means arranged to permit entrance of liquid from said liquid supply source to said chamber and to prevent backward return of the liquid, means for delivering a fluid under pressure to said measuring chamber to cause the discharge of liquid therefrom,'and means `for controlling the flow Vof said fluid to said said limiting` means including a Vvalvular member connected to a discharge pipe and arranged `to be adjusted vertically in said measuring chamber; f y n 4C. In liquid-dispensing apparatus, a liquid supply source, a measuring ,chamben'means arranged to permit entrance of liquidfrom said liquid Vsupply source to said chamber and to prevent backward return of the liquid,'pmeans.for delivering a fluid under pressure to said measuring chamber to cause the discharge'oii liquid therefrom, Vand means for limiting the amount'ol' liquid discharged, said limiting means including a discharge pipe aporti'on of which ismovable and has an extremity extending' slidably into said pipe but to bey movable Ifromfitsseat by iso y y y y y V measuring chamber, and a valvemei'nber ar- Y ranged to seaton theiinletof said discharge 6. In liquid-dispensing apparatus, a measuring chamber having a valved inlet and a valved outlet, means for automatically charging the measuring chamber and operating Aby gravitative action, means for supplying fluid under pressure to effect delivery of the charge from the measuring chamber and maintain the inlet valve in closedv position during the delivery, and means for relieving the Huid pressure in the measuring chamber after delivery to admit of automatic opening of the inlet valve and the recharging of the measuring chamber.

7 In liquid-dispensing apparatus, a measuring chamber having a valved inlet and a valved outlet, means for automatically charging the measuring chamber and operating by gravitative action, means for supplying fluid under pressure to effect delivery of the charge from the measuring chamber and maintain the inlet valve in closed position during the delivery, and means lfor relieving the iiuid pressure in the measuring 'chamber after delivery to admit of automatic opening of the inlet valve and the recharging of the measuring chamber, the fluid pressure supply and the Huid pressure relieving means being connected for Vsimultaneous movement to bring one into action and cut the other out of action in alternation.

8. The combination of a syrup jar for soda fountains having a chamber therein for measuring a charge of syrup to be delivered therefrom, a delivery nozzle connected to said chamber, means for admitting pressure to said chamber to effect the delivery of said charge, and means for preventing the passage of said pressure to the nozzle after the charge has been delivered therefrom.

9. The combination of a syrup jar for soda fountains having a chamber therein for measuring a charge of syrup to be delivered therefrom, a delivery nozzle connected to said chamber, means for admitting pressure to said chamber to effect the delivery of the charge therefrom, means for preventing the passage of said pressure to the nozzle after the charge has been delivered therefrom, and means for providing for the escape of said pressure to permit the chamber to be recharged.

,10. The combination of a syrup jar for soda fountains having a chamber therein 'for measuring a charge of syrup to be delivered therefrom, a discharge pipe connected to said chamber, means for admitting pressure to the chamber to effect the delivery of the charge therefrom, and a valve for closing said discharge pipe to'prevent the discharge of pressure therethrough from the chamber after the charge has been delivered.

l1. The combination of a syrup jar for soda fountains having a chamber therein for measuring a charge of syrup to be delivered therefrom, a discharge pipe connected to said chamber, means for admitting pressure to said chamber to effect the delivery of the charge, a valve for closing said discharge pipe to prevent the discharge of pressure therethrough from the chamber after the charge has been delivered, and a valve in the pressure inlet means for permitting the escape of said pressure after the charge has been delivered.

In testimony whereof I have aixed my signature.

EDWARD E. MURPHY. 

